‘The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.’ (Albert Einstein)

Much has been written about innovation in education and the conditions from which it arises. Our focus on personalising learning and looking at new ways of doing things in order to do them better has highlighted two significant problems that seem to galvanise school innovators into a deeper level of thought and action.

The first is that our desire to be better is often greater than the time, energy and resources to hand. This means that the only route to improvement beyond that limit is by thinking afresh and tackling problems creatively and collaboratively - moving from best to next practice. The journey towards personalising learning has sought to create that shift.

The second is that there is a limit to how far an individual or small group can go in rethinking how they work within a bigger structure that is fixed in place. Transformational change has to run deeper and wider than a few classrooms, no matter how exceptional the practitioner and brilliant the idea. Conversely, the most astounding system-wide change is useless if it isn’t happening on a day to day basis in the classroom.

We are privileged to work alongside many schools that have taken those two key steps towards personalising learning: rethinking, working right across the whole institution and also following through in every lesson. Working with schools to create and transfer that knowledge is our core business within the Personalising Learning team. In the first phase of our work, we have seen schools make powerful discoveries about the individual gateways to personalising learning and about the linkages and interactions between them.

The second phase has led to conceptualising the emerging clusters of gateways as the ‘four deeps’ of learning, experience, support and leadership.

In this edition of Snapshots there are a number of examples of transformation really happening, based on the creative and sometimes complex dynamics and interactions of gateway clusters. Here you will see emerging evidence of aspects of the ‘four deeps’ in action: for example, Dearne High School building groundbreaking work on the use of mobile technologies from a springboard of developments in student voice and learning to learn.

Personalising Learning is an ambitious journey with no fixed destination. The development and research hubs and the Trust’s 14th National Conference will usher in the next phase of personalising learning. Working together with schools, we aim to set the agenda for an ambitious programme of innovation to reshape schooling for the 21st century.

Ms Corinne Franceschi and Mr Guy Shearer
Leadership and Innovation Networks
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust

Buy this issue.